Today’s guests, Josh Bernstein and Mike Schott, are responsible for an awesome new program designed to get kids excited about science – and it takes a very different form than a lot of the STEM programs that are around in schools and communities today.

Josh is an explorer, an educator, a traveler, a storyteller, and an all-around cool guy. He’s travelled over 1,000,000 miles to over 75 countries on a quest to shed light on some of the most fascinating mysteries on our planet. Josh is also the Founder and CEO of Explorer At Large (XAL), and his mission is to engage, inspire, and educate PreK-12 students around the world with standards-driven content that sparks curiosity, playfulness, and wonder.

Mike is the Director of Community Development for Kauffman Development. He’s responsible for all kinds of investor relations, business development, and community relations, and he’s a huge advocate in the Columbus community. Mike is also a trustee of the Harold C. Schott Foundation, and through that work, he is involved in numerous important philanthropic efforts throughout Ohio and beyond.

XAL is now placing its educational content in school systems around the country, with help from partners like the Schott Foundation for Public Education, and we can’t wait to share what they’re doing with all of you.

We unbox:

Explorer At Large is all about two things: courage and curiosity

How Josh is spreading his message about curiosity and discovery to over 200 countries through… well, Discovery and History!

How exposing children to new ideas and concepts gives them a more robust variety of opportunities

If you can’t engage an audience, there can be no education – so how can we engage kids?

Why they are piloting XAL in Ohio

How XAL makes scientific topics relatable, and even cool, then communicates those complex topics in a way that even a Kindergartner can learn from